Federal Member for Wide Bay

Working for Wide Bay

Older residents of Wide Bay will benefit from $13.1 million in recurrent funding to create 200 new residential aged care places in Maryborough, Tin Can Bay, and Gympie, Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien announced today.

“Gympie’s Cooinda Aged Care Centre will also receive a $5 million capital grant towards the construction of its new $11.9 million 50 bed building,” Mr O’Brien said.

“This is fantastic news for Gympie and Cooinda. It is a major investment in both our community and in the future of aged care in the region, and I congratulate Cooinda Chair Paul Medway and CEO Robyn Kross for their work in bringing forward this successful application.

“This project will create jobs through the construction phase and when the building is operational, delivering quality aged care services in the community.”

Mr O’Brien also released details of new residential aged care places that have been allocated to Wide Bay.

“Wide Bay has an aging population, so I welcome the allocation of 200 new residential aged care places under the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round, providing: six new places at Gympie’s Cooinda Aged Care Centre; 50 aged care places for Regis Aged Care in Tin Can Bay; and 144 places for a proposed centre in Tinana by Infin8 Care,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Older Australians are the people who build our nation, defended us and cared for us, and it is important that they in turn are cared for with an aged care system that meets their needs.”

The Coalition Government funding is part of additional $649 million per year to create 9,911 new residential aged care places across Australia. Wide Bay is one of the many rural and remote regions across Australia that will benefit, with 27.4 per cent of all residential places allocated to non-metropolitan areas.

The new residential aged care places follow the announcement of 475 Short-Term Restorative Care places made available through the 2016-17 Aged Care Approvals Round in February 2017. These Short-Term Restorative Care places, worth an estimated total of up to $34.7 million a year, provide flexible aged care options that will help older people remain in their own homes for longer after injury or illness.